Copycat is a game where you play from the perspective of a cat who recently got adopted and is trying to figure out life as a cat.
I thought this game would be right up my alley, with pets, a good story, and story options. However, I was a little disappointed. I felt there were loose ends that weren’t tied up, and I wanted to know more about the characters. This, combined with repetitive gameplay, made it difficult to enjoy the story.
Editor’s Note: The Guide Hall received a review copy of the game from the developer/publisher/PR for this review. Their generosity does not impact our overall opinion or thoughts on the game!
The Good
One of my favorite things about Copycat was playing as a cat who’s been locked in the shelter. Playing as Dawn, you get to see her inner thoughts spoken through a nature expert. It’s satisfying watching Dawn go from longing to be a wild cat to loving her human.
Olive is Dawn’s new owner, and she desperately wants to fill the space where her old Dawn was. With her daughter, Mae, living away and her husband gone, Olive desperately wants a connection with another living being. This causes her to impulsively adopt a new cat, causing the main conflict.
This brings me to the next thing I like about this game: the characters are complex. Their personalities and motivations work together to create an encaptivating story.
There are four main characters: Olive, Mae, and new Dawn. Olive is an old and lonely lady who’s sick and wants an active bond with a living creature. Mae is Olive’s daughter who wants the best for Olive but starts feeling the burden of caring for an elderly parent. Finally, Dawn is a cat who wants to feel loved by a human after so many losses.
The final thing I enjoyed about Copycat was the story. While the repetitive gameplay was challenging to get through, I did enjoy the story. I was leaping through emotional hoops as I tried to figure out who was good and who was bad.
One moment I was happy because Dawn was warming up to Olive. Then the next I was mad because the old Dawn replaced new Dawn. Then I got sad when I thought new Dawn would just be stuck without a family forever.
The Bad
My biggest issue with Copycat was how repetitive the mini-games were whenever Dawn had to live outside. There was a lot of the same stuff, like hitting the same buttons over and over again. I would’ve preferred wandering to discover the story.
I think the mini-games could have been cut without impacting the story. It upset me a lot because they distracted me from how Dawn’s character.
Another thing I didn’t enjoy about the game was the lack of background on the characters. The entire time, it hints that Dawn doesn’t like humans because they’re all the same, but we never get an in-depth reason as to why Dawn thinks this way.
There is a little explanation in one of Dawn’s dreams where you walk from one memory to another, but I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if I saw a backstory where I could interact with the old families and owners to see what they were like.
On the other hand, Mae and Olive have almost no background. Slight hints can be gathered by looking around, like looking in the trash can and finding the pamphlet for a retirement home or when Mae is looking over what I assume are bills. But we never see anything of Olive’s, I presume, a dead husband and how this has brought them to where they are now.
Another thing I didn’t enjoy about Copycat was that it was only an illusion of choice while playing. Throughout the game, you are presented with choices like whether or not to leave the yard or if you want to bite or scratch Olive, but at the end of the day, they don’t impact the way the story goes.
It adds interaction to the game, but if I’m playing a game with choices like this, I expect them to impact the story.
Should you Play Copycat?
I think it’s an okay game for $15. I don’t think you’d be disappointed with the story if you’re an animal lover. It’s a short game, too, so if you have a day off and want to kill time, it’s a good game to pass the time.
I was disappointed with the repetitive mini games and how the choices didn’t impact the story, but it is a good story about wanting to belong told through the eyes of an adorable cat.